U.S. patent number 10,106,089 [Application Number 15/340,471] was granted by the patent office on 2018-10-23 for track assisted sliding tray cargo cover.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. Invention is credited to Joseph Walter Herman.
United States Patent |
10,106,089 |
Herman |
October 23, 2018 |
Track assisted sliding tray cargo cover
Abstract
A vehicle having a cargo area accessible through a lift gate
opening frame and partially defined by a floor and side quarter
panels is provided. The vehicle includes guide tracks supported by
the side quarter panels and a tray movable between a stowed
position adjacent the floor and at least one deployed position.
First and second pegs extend from opposing sides of the tray and
engage the guide tracks. Similarly, first and second retention pins
extend from the opposing sides of the tray and engage first and
second receivers supported by the side quarter panels in the at
least one deployed position. A handle is supported by the tray. A
release mechanism may be connected to the retention pins and is
used to retract the pins from the receivers.
Inventors: |
Herman; Joseph Walter (Detroit,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
(Dearborn, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
60480936 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/340,471 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2016 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20180118118 A1 |
May 3, 2018 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R
5/045 (20130101); B60R 7/02 (20130101); B62D
25/087 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60R
5/04 (20060101); B60R 7/02 (20060101); B62D
25/08 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;296/37.16 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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102006009771 |
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Sep 2007 |
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DE |
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1876056 |
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Jan 2008 |
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EP |
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2048031 |
|
Apr 2009 |
|
EP |
|
2006032779 |
|
Mar 2006 |
|
WO |
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2007099215 |
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Sep 2007 |
|
WO |
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2008110773 |
|
Sep 2008 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
English Machine Translation of DE102006009771A1. cited by applicant
.
English Machine Translation of EP1876056A2. cited by applicant
.
English Machine Translation of WO2006032779A1. cited by applicant
.
English Machine Translation of WO2007099215A2. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Pape; Joseph
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Chea; Vichit King & Schickli,
PLLC
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A vehicle, comprising: a cargo area partially defined by a
floor, a driver side quarter panel, and a passenger side quarter
panel; guide tracks formed in said driver and passenger side
quarter panels; a tray movable between a first position and a
second position; a first roller extending from a driver side of
said tray and engaging said driver side guide track and a second
roller extending from a passenger side of said tray and engaging
said passenger side guide track; a shelf extending from each of
said driver side quarter panel and said passenger side quarter
panel for supporting said tray in the second position.
2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said first position is adjacent
said floor.
3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said tray is supported by said
floor in the first position.
4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said guide tracks formed in said
driver and passenger side quarter panels are channel shaped and
said first and second rollers are retained within said guide
tracks.
5. A vehicle having a cargo area partially defined by a floor, a
driver side quarter panel, and a passenger side quarter panel,
comprising: a first at least partially arcuate guide track formed
in said driver side quarter panel; a second at least partially
arcuate guide track formed in said passenger side quarter panel; a
tray movable between a stowed position and at least one deployed
position; a shelf extending from each of said driver side quarter
panel and said passenger side quarter panel for supporting said
tray in the at least one deployed position; a first peg extending
from a driver side of said tray and engaging said first guide track
and a second peg extending from a passenger side of said tray and
engaging said second guide track; a first retention pin extending
from said driver side of said tray for engaging said driver side
quarter panel and a second retention pin extending from said
passenger side of said tray for engaging said passenger side
quarter panel; and a release mechanism for moving said first and
second retention pins from an extended position to a retracted
position to allow said tray to move.
6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said release mechanism includes
an actuator and is connected to said first and second retention
pins.
7. The vehicle of claim 5, further comprising a handle having an
actuator linked to said release mechanism.
8. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said tray has a cavity formed
therein, said cavity accessible from an upper side of said
tray.
9. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said first guide track is a
channel and said first peg is a roller retained by and in rolling
engagement with said first guide track and said second guide track
is a channel and said second peg is a roller retained by and in
rolling engagement with said second guide track.
10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein each of said channel in said
first guide track and said channel in said second guide track
include a straight portion and an arcuate portion.
11. A vehicle having a cargo area accessible through a lift gate
opening frame and partially defined by a floor and driver and
passenger side quarter panels, comprising: a guide track formed in
each of the driver and passenger side quarter panels; a shelf
extending into the cargo area from each of the driver and passenger
side quarter panels; a tray movable between a stowed position
adjacent said floor and at least one deployed position, said tray
supported by said shelves in the at least one deployed position;
first and second pegs extending from opposing sides of said tray
and engaging said guide tracks; first and second retention pins
extending from said opposing sides of said tray and engaging first
and second receivers supported by said side quarter panels in the
at least one deployed position; and a handle supported by said tray
and connected to said retention pins for retracting said first and
second retention pins from said first and second receivers.
12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein said at least one deployed
position includes an elevated position and an intermediate position
between said elevated position and said stowed position.
13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein said tray is substantially
horizontal in the elevated position.
14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein said tray is inclined in the
intermediate position.
15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein said first and second pegs are
roller pegs.
16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein said guide tracks are channel
shaped and said roller pegs are retained within and in rolling
engagement with said guide tracks.
17. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein said first and second
receivers are apertures molded in said side quarter panels.
18. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein said first and second
retention pins are extended when an actuator associated with said
handle is in a normal position.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This document relates generally to cargo covers for vehicle cargo
areas, and more specifically to a multi-positioned cargo cover.
BACKGROUND
Vehicles such as hatchbacks, vans, sports utility vehicles (SUVs)
and station wagons include rear cargo areas and are known to use
retractable Tonneau cover style cargo shades. Other vehicles use
solid trays in place of the Tonneau cover style cargo shades. When
not in use both types of shades are required to be removed from
their functional positions entirely to store the shade/tray either
within the vehicle, if space is provided, or external to the
vehicle. This removal, stowing, and reinstallation process often
becomes burdensome and/or an inconvenient for the vehicle owner.
Even more, the cargo shades/trays may be misplaced or lost, or
stowed loose in the rear cargo area where they can be in the way of
unfettered use of the rear cargo area, or damaged when stowed loose
and other cargo is loaded into the rear cargo area.
Accordingly, a need exists for a rear cargo area solution that is
able to be stowed in the rear cargo area without being removed from
its functional position. Such a solution would also allow the tray
to be positioned in a stowed position, allowing unfettered use of
substantially the entirety of the rear cargo area, or at least one
deployed position, in the deployed position, the tray provides
coverage of the cargo resting on the floor of the rear cargo area
and may provide a second cargo area, i.e., a two-tier rear cargo
area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the purposes and benefits described herein, a
vehicle having a cargo area accessible through a lift gate opening
frame and partially defined by a floor and side quarter panels is
provided. The vehicle may be broadly described as including guide
tracks supported by the side quarter panels, a tray movable between
a stowed position adjacent the floor and at least one deployed
position, first and second pegs extending from opposing sides of
the tray and engaging the guide tracks, first and second retention
pins extending from the opposing sides of the tray and engaging
first and second receivers supported by the side quarter panels in
the at least one deployed position, and a handle supported by the
tray and connected to the retention pins for retracting the first
and second retention pins from the first and second receivers.
In one possible embodiment, the at least one deployed position
includes an elevated position and an intermediate position between
the elevated position and the stowed position. In another, the tray
is substantially horizontal in the elevated position. In still
another, the tray is inclined in the intermediate position.
In another possible embodiment, each of the side quarter panels
includes a shelf extending into the cargo area and supporting the
tray in the elevated position.
In still another possible embodiment, the first and second pegs are
roller pegs. In another, the guide tracks are channel shaped and
the roller pegs are retained within and in rolling engagement with
the guide tracks.
In yet another possible embodiment, each of the side quarter panels
includes a shelf extending into the cargo area for supporting the
tray in the at least one deployed position.
In still yet another possible embodiment, the first and second
receivers are apertures molded in the side quarter panels.
In another possible embodiment, the first and second retention pins
are extended when the handle is in a normal position.
In accordance with another possible embodiment, a vehicle includes
a cargo area partially defined by a floor, a driver side quarter
panel, and a passenger side quarter panel, guide tracks formed in
the driver and passenger side quarter panels, a tray movable
between a first position and a second position, a first roller
extending from a driver side of the tray and engaging the driver
side guide track and a second roller extending from a passenger
side of the tray and engaging the passenger side guide track, and a
shelf extending from each of the driver side quarter panel and the
passenger side quarter panel for supporting the tray in the second
position.
In another possible embodiment, the first position is adjacent the
floor. In yet another, the tray is supported by the floor in the
first position.
In still another possible embodiment, the guide tracks formed in
the driver and passenger side quarter panels are channel shaped and
the first and second rollers are retained within the guide
tracks.
In accordance with another possible embodiment, a vehicle having a
cargo area partially defined by a floor, a driver side quarter
panel, and a passenger side quarter panel includes a first guide
track supported by the driver side quarter panel, a second guide
track supported by the passenger side quarter panel, a tray movable
between a stowed position and at least one deployed position, a
first peg extending from a driver side of the tray and engaging the
first guide track and a second peg extending from a passenger side
of the tray and engaging the second guide track, a first retention
pin extending from the driver side of the tray for engaging the
driver side quarter panel and a second retention pin extending from
the passenger side of the tray for engaging the passenger side
quarter panel, and a release mechanism for moving the first and
second retention pins from an extended position to a retracted
position to allow the tray to move.
In another possible embodiment, the release mechanism includes an
actuator and is connected to the first and second retention pins.
In still another possible embodiment, the vehicle further includes
a handle.
In yet another possible embodiment, the tray has a cavity formed
therein, the cavity accessible from an upper side of the tray.
In one other possible embodiment, the first guide track is a
channel and the first peg is a roller retained by and in rolling
engagement with the first guide track and the second guide track is
a channel and the second peg is a roller retained by and in rolling
engagement with the second guide track.
In still another possible embodiment, the channel in the first
guide track and the channel in the second guide track include a
straight portion and an arcuate portion.
In the following description, there are shown and described several
embodiments of a vehicle having a tray movable between a stowed
position and at least one deployed position in a cargo area. As it
should be realized, the systems are capable of other, different
embodiments and their several details are capable of modification
in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the
assemblies as set forth and described in the following claims.
Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as
illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a
part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of a vehicle
having a tray movable between a stowed position and at least one
deployed position in a cargo area and together with the description
serve to explain certain principles thereof. In the drawing
figures:
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a typical vehicle having a
rear cargo area showing a driver side quarter panel and a guide
track;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a tray;
FIG. 3 is a partial side plan view of the rear cargo area of the
vehicle showing the tray in a stowed position and multiple deployed
positions;
FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the tray;
FIG. 5 is a partial side plan view of the guide track;
FIG. 6 is a partial top plan view of the tray showing an actuator
and retention pins in an extended position; and
FIG. 7 is a partial top plan view of the tray showing the actuator
and the retention pins in a retracted position.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred
embodiments of the vehicle having a tray movable between a stowed
position and at least one deployed position in a cargo area,
examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing
figures, wherein like numerals are used to represent like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which illustrates a typical vehicle
10 having a rear cargo area 12. In the described embodiment, a
floor 14 of the rear cargo area 12 is substantially flush with a
rear lift gate opening frame 16 for a rear lift gate (not shown).
The floor 14 can be covered with carpet or the like as is known in
the art. The rear cargo area 12 is further defined by a driver side
quarter panel 18 and a passenger side quarter panel 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, a tray 24 includes pegs 26, 28 extending from
opposing sides 30, 32 of the tray 24 for engaging the side quarter
panels 18 and 20. More specifically, guide tracks 22 are supported
by each of the driver and passenger side quarter panels 18 and 20
for engaging the pegs 26, 28. The tray 24 is generally flat and
shaped like the floor 14 of the rear cargo area 12. The tray 24 is
designed to cover cargo positioned on the floor 14 of the rear
cargo area 12 in a first or a deployed position or to rest adjacent
the floor 14 in a second or stowed position.
In the described embodiment and as best shown in FIG. 3, the tray
24 is supported by or rests on the floor 14 in the stowed position
(designated reference numeral 34). In addition, the tray 24 may be
moved to an elevated position (designated reference numeral 38) or
an intermediate position 36 between the stowed position 34 and the
elevated position 38. In other embodiments, the tray 24 may be
moved to additional or fewer deployed positions.
In the elevated position 38, the tray 24 is supported horizontally
by shelves 40, 42 extending into the cargo area 12. The tray 24 is
also retained in this position by retention pins 44 and 46. As best
shown in FIG. 2, the retention pins 44, 46 extend from the opposing
sides 30, 32 respectively of the tray 24 and engage receivers 48
supported by the side quarter panels 18, 20. The receivers 48 may
be apertures molded into the side quarter panels 18, 20 or may be
plastic or metal receivers.
In the intermediate position 36, the tray 24 is supported by the
retention pins 44, 46 in an inclined position allowing improved
access to the cargo in the rear cargo area 12. Additional shelves
may be added to support the tray in the intermediate position in an
alternate embodiment. Even more alternate embodiments may maintain
the tray 24 in horizontal, inclined, and/or declined positions in
each of the deployed positions, and the tray may be tethered to the
liftgate.
As shown in FIG. 4, the tray 24 includes a cavity 50 formed in an
upper portion thereof. The cavity 50 is shaped to support
additional cargo C in a multi-tiered arrangement in the rear cargo
area 12 when the tray 24 is in a deployed position or to support
cargo when the tray is in the stowed position.
As shown in FIG. 5, the guide track 22 is formed in the side
quarter panel 18. The second guide track 22 is similarly formed in
side quarter panel 20 and will not be described herein. In the
described embodiment, the guide tracks 22 are generally C-shaped
channels 52 having a slot shaped opening 54 formed in the side
quarter panel 18 for receiving the pegs 26, 28. The C-shaped
channels 52 are integrally formed or molded with the side quarter
panels 18 and 20 in the described embodiment. In alternate
embodiments, however, the guide tracks 22 may include channels,
C-shaped or otherwise, that are attached to the side quarter panels
18 and 20. The channels may be attached behind the side quarter
panels 18 and 20 so as to be out of view or to a front of the side
quarter panels.
The peg 26 extending from the side 30 of tray 24 extends through
the slot shaped opening 54 which serves to guide the peg when the
tray is moved between the stowed position 34 and deployed positions
(e.g., the elevated position 38 or the intermediate position 36).
As shown by action arrow A, the peg 26 moves along the slot shaped
opening 54 from a first position wherein the peg is designated
reference numeral 26' to a second position wherein the peg is
designated reference numeral 26''. As further shown, the guide
track 22 includes a straight portion 56 and an arcuate portion 58.
In other embodiments, the length of the straight and arcuate
portions may vary, or the entire guide track may be arcuate or
straight depending on the shape of the rear cargo area and design
preferences.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the pegs 26, 28 in the described
embodiment, are roller pegs. Each roller peg (e.g., peg 26)
includes an axle 60 and a roller 62. The axle 60 is attached to the
tray 24 and extends through the slot shaped opening 54. The roller
62 is retained by and in rolling engagement with the guide track
22. In perhaps a simplest alternate embodiment, the guide tracks 22
are slot shaped apertures molded into the side quarter panels and
the pegs simply extend through the slot shaped apertures. The
apertures contact and guide the pegs when the tray is moved between
the stowed position and deployed positions.
As shown in FIG. 6, the tray 24 includes a handle 64. An actuator
66 forming a portion of the handle 64 activates a release mechanism
68. The release mechanism 68 is a type generally known in the art
and is connected to the retention pins 44, 46. When the actuator 66
is in a normal position, the retention pins 44, 46 are extended as
shown in FIG. 6 and engage and are supported by the receivers 48.
When the handle 64 is grasped and the actuator 66 moved from a
normal, extended position (shown in FIG. 6) to a retracted position
(shown in FIG. 7), the release mechanism 68 operates to retract the
retention pins 44, 46 from the extended position (shown in FIG. 6)
to a retracted position (shown in FIG. 7). With the retention pins
44, 46 in the retracted position, the tray 24 may be moved between
positions. Releasing the actuator 66 returns the actuator to its
normal position and the retention pins 44, 46 to their extended
position where they re-engage and are supported by the receivers
48.
In summary, numerous benefits result from the utilization of a tray
designed to cover cargo positioned on a floor of a rear cargo area
of a vehicle in a deployed position or to rest adjacent the floor
in a stowed position. The tray is able to be stowed in the rear
cargo area without being removed from its functional position. In
other words, the tray remains engaged with guide tracks whether in
the stowed or deployed positions. This allows for unfettered use of
substantially the entire rear cargo area in the stowed position.
Even more, the tray provides coverage of the cargo resting on the
floor of the rear cargo area and may provide a second cargo area in
the deployed position.
The foregoing has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications
and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. All
such modifications and variations are within the scope of the
appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to
which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.
* * * * *